At the Japanese car company Mazda, they always went about it a little differently. Whether it was the Autozam AZ-1 micro sports car, the reincarnation of the British roadster aka MX-5 , the Wankel engines in the RX series, or theSkyactiv-X "gasoline diesel" introduced in recent years, Mazda has always fiercely avoided the mainstream.
So when the European Community started pushing electric cars, they rose to the challenge and created something crazy time and time again.
DESIGNER UFOS
Don't get me wrong, the Mazda MX-30 craziness is totally fine, there hasn't been anything like it since the RX-8. Most electric cars today look… Well, like electric cars . However, this electric SUV stands out.
The main element of the design, similar to the sports car with the Wankel, are the wing doors, where the B-pillar is completely missing and the rear ones open against the direction of travel. Instant WOW effect guaranteed. The solution is very nice, not so much practical. However, the electric Mazda has no ambitions to replace the regular family stagecoach , so a little extra style is in order.
The car is based on the platform of its sister CX-30 , so the dimensions correspond to compact SUVs, such as Skoda Karoq or Toyota RAV4 , but the rather angular body with a long hood visually enlarges it.
In normal traffic, the MX-30 acts like a UFO, nothing like it drives on the roads and people nod their heads approvingly. The three-tone paintwork then emphasizes the "coupe profile" of the bodywork even more.
I really like the MX-30, its design is fresh and unadorned, moreover, it doesn't show off too much that it's an electric car, many people would expect a six-cylinder under the hood at the first glance.
GOD'S INTERIOR
Just look at it, isn't it beautiful? The interior of the Mazda MX-30 shows that the Japanese think completely differently. It has an atmosphere here, you can feel the positive energy flowing here. I'm no esotericist , but it's pleasant and relaxing even for us who don't believe in reincarnation.
The seats are upholstered in white synthetic leather and a pleasant to the touch gray fabric. Thanks to this, the interior of the car is pleasantly airy and bright, although the rear tinted windows do not let in much light. Ecological materials are also used in other places. The door panels are made from recycled PET bottles and the cork surrounding the central tunnel refers to Mazda's long-standing tradition (the company initially produced cork stoppers). Clever and funny, the Germans wouldn't understand this.
I open the rear "wing" and slide backwards, like in any coupe. I sit down on the back couch, where there is surprisingly enough room for my head, and I meditate. Now I understand why the rear windows are tinted – less distractions for your meditation.
I sit forward again to look at all three screens. Down in front of the drive mode selector, there is a single air conditioning touch screen. It is clear and intuitive, only you occasionally tap it by mistake and the air conditioning "eats" precious kilometers from your range.
Another is the infotainment display, which is not touch-sensitive and has excellent navigation. It is controlled by a wheel on the center tunnel, and right next to it is another smaller wheel for media. However, the grouping of controls around the selector is a little confusing, when you want to retune the radio and change the volume, you have to swipe to the second wheel.
The last one is a digital instrument panel, with fairly standard functions, surrounded by three alarms. For the brand's first electric car, I would have expected something more hi-tech, but the alarm clock hands contribute to easy readability. The most important one is on the left – it shows the current engine load, how much power it is "releasing" or if it is braking and charging.
METEORO-MUTO-ENGINE
If memory serves me correctly, in The Adventures of the Smolik Family, they used a meteor engine to travel through time. The Mazda only has a "classic" electric motor, but you can really experience a journey through time to the near future with it. This is a water-cooled AC synchronous electric motor, learn about it. When you go to the garage in 2068, it will come in handy.
The performance of the electric motor is not dazzling, 145 hp and 271 Nm are roughly equivalent to a diesel SUV, but believe me, you won't need more. Perhaps we are too used to Tesla and their breathtaking numbers, but the Mazda MX-30 does not need to prove anything, nor does it have ambitions to be the only car in the family. This is also why the battery has a relatively low capacity of 35.5 kWh and a range of 210 km according to the WLTP. It's not about numbers at all!
Again, I have to catch myself that the Japanese think completely differently and their mind completely misses inferior efforts to chase the ego or sensationalism. They've been talking about it ever since the car was introduced. The MX-30 is intended as a second or third car in the family. Journey to work, children to school; In addition, a battery with a lower capacity is manufactured more gently, possibly disposed of, and recharges faster. How prophetic!
The acceleration of 9.7 seconds to 100 km/h also does not seem too dazzling, but you will always be the first to shoot out of the intersection. Acceleration is thus downright rocket-like up to approximately 70 km/h, after that it weakens and above 90 a rather unpleasant electric hum begins to be heard, which escalates up to the speedometer's 145. The Mazda can handle the highway maximum without any problems, but mainly due to the hum of the electric motor, it is a bit unpleasantly.
The homeland of the first electric Mazda is, of course, the city, where rocket-like performance, higher ground clearance and decent energy consumption come in handy. During my travels, especially in congested Prague, I got to 15.4 kWh/100 km, which is even less than the manufacturer claims. I had a real winter range of 170 km after a full charge.
During the test, I was able to make sure that, at least in the capital, the network of fast chargers is very decent. "Our" Mazda can charge at a speed of up to 50kW via the CCS type 2 connector. So you can usually charge from about 15% to almost full in about an hour. A slower Mennenkes 22kW is also available, and in the car you will also find a cable for charging from a regular socket.
A REAL JOY OF RIDING
Jinba ittai has been Mazda's slogan for some time now, it is mostly used in the materials of the MX-5 roadster. It means something like "a harmony between the rider and the machine" .
This certainly applies to a small roadster, but it certainly also applies to the brand's first electric model. In principle, such an electric car seems like one big bore. No gearbox, revving, no sounds… If I were to make an electric car, I would make it soothingly soft like a couch, because that's the most suitable for the city. But Mazda is Mazda and they take great care to make each of their models fun to drive!
At the front, the weight distribution is almost 50:50, there is basically nothing above the front axle, and the rear axle has a very smart and well-thought-out design that limits its movement and is very stiff.
Add to that a low center of gravity, perfect torsional stiffness, communicative steering, and the fun is in the world.
As expected, the suspension is also a bit stiffer, it is a sporty Mazda after all. However, it is not too stiff to beat your soul to shreds. The shock absorbers have sufficient travel and filter unevenness excellently, but you always know what surface you're driving on, that is, the chassis also communicates with you.
Ease. This is the strongest feeling I get when driving the MX-30. Although relatively heavy and large, it seems much smaller and lighter, like a swallow that lets itself be carried away by the current of the sea wind…
A GOOD FIRST STEP
I've always liked Mazdas. No matter what happens in the world, they always remain their own, they remain extraordinary, in a positive sense different and fun. The MX-30 is no exception. However much the electric car actually contradicts their philosophy, they were able to cope with it excellently.
Honestly, I couldn't imagine that even without Tesla's Huron performance, I could be interested in an electric car. Here is.
It's definitely not a car for everyone and it's not an MX-5 either, it's a very successful exception among electric cars.
I had the opportunity to talk about it with potential owners, they all agreed that with a longer range they would order it right away. I too would like a longer range, but for slightly different reasons than the fear of running out.
The Mazda MX-30 is such a great car that it would be a downright shame to drive it only around the city and its surroundings. It almost seems like that wasn't even the original plan. All that test week I longed to leave frozen Prague and go to Italy. Or to France, somewhere south, on a road trip through Europe… In no other car was that feeling so strong… In the back of my mind, I secretly hope that the two-liter hybrid, which is a Japanese exclusive, will one day reach us too.
